Mike Carter's Blog for Wine Packaging, Design & Marketing Insights

Beating the Wine Counterfeiters

Magnums of 1921 Bordeaux from France’s legendary Chateau Petrus have sold for up to $75,000 at auction. The problem: Even Che2teau Petrus isn’t sure whether it was bottling magnums in ’21.

This is just one of many examples of fake wine being sold for big bucks. And as the price and popularity of less-rare vintages go up, counterfeiters are starting to knock off those as well; last August, Italian winery Braida, whose younger vintages sell for around $20 a bottle, reportedly fell prey to a scam in which cheap Italian table wine was labeled and sold in Germany as Braida’s premium Barbera.

Now some vintners are turning to tech safeguards to protect their venerable brands. Read how the wine industry intends fighting back.